Philips Education, a manufacturing ed-tech company, which is a part of the Philips Corporation, is trying to bridge the gap between industry needs and the unskilled workforce. This is being done by training students with advanced technologies and machinery.
“Training with advanced technologies ensures that manufacturing will take full force in India, and not just be concentrated in countries like China,” said Rakshit Kejriwal, the global president of Philips Education.
The first-ever Centre of Excellence, a training institute, was opened in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, in 2023 in collaboration with the Government of Uttarakhand and saw 20 students pass out from a three-month course, all with a job in hand. Students are taught how to control machines through a computer in a boot camp setting.
“Everything right from the course to the equipment and the trainers are provided by Philips itself,” said Kejriwal, adding that two more centres in Uttarakhand, will also be opened shortly.
Additionally to this, new centres will also be opened in Bihar and Odisha by the end of this year. There’s also a centre in Karnataka in collaboration with Tata Technologies.
“The Middle East is currently the biggest market for the Centre of Excellence, for they require a huge strength of skilled manpower, however, countries like Vietnam, Philippines and USA might also follow suit,” he further continued.
Kejriwal said, “Most of our students come from rural backgrounds and from ITIs or Polytechnics, so their fees are taken care of by the government itself.” There’s a screening process involved while enrolling students to judge if they have a basic inclination towards the industry.
“By doing this, we ensure that our students are not just a part of the unskilled workforce but also become a part of the mainstream workforce as well, earning at least Rs 40,000-50,00 per month in three years,” he added.
According to Kejriwal, this also allows greater visibility and a larger client base for Philips Corporation, since this also advocates the efficiency of machines sold by the company.
What is the future of ed-tech in India?
Speaking about the future of ed-tech companies in India, Kejriwal said that, unlike other companies, Philips does not raise money. There is also significantly less spent on marketing, since the kind of audience they cater to are mostly attracted by word of mouth or study fairs.
“The students need us more than we need to market ourselves, which is not the case with other ed-tech companies,” Kejriwal added.
He further explained that the reason Philips Education falls into the ed-tech category is because it uses technology like a mobile app for the convenience of the students as well as advanced technology in the form of machines, while at the same time opening up training institutes.
He also addressed the growing question about the declining landscape of ed-tech companies in India and blamed the aggressive marketing that the companies are mostly engaged in. “If you deliver value, the customer will come to you,” he said. Kejriwal added that they are mostly focusing on hiring, training and retaining as a company at the moment.
